Jay tohey



1. TONEY.

AMUSENIENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 23. 1919.

Patented June 3, 1919.

I ATTORNEYS? .TAY ronny, or OMAHA, NEBRASKA AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .rune a, raie.

Application led January 23, 1919. Serial No. 272,644.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAY TONEY, a citizen of the United States, residingat Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have inventedacertain new and useful Improvement in Amusement Devices, of which thefollowing is a specilication.

My invention relates tok amusement devices 'in which a freely suspendedbody, preferably in the form of an aeroplane or Zeppelin, is drivenlthrough the air by means of a propeller. The general object of theinvention is to provide in a device 0f this character means whereby thebody may be driven either as a meretoy, or, when constructed on aslightly larger scale, as an exhibition device for hotel lobbies orplaces. of entertainment. I have chosen to illustrate the invention asembodied in a device of th'e last mentioned type.

I accomplish my objects by mechanism of which one type is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fi ure 1 is a general view showingthedevice 1n flight.

Fig. 2 is a verticalaxial section ofthe ceiling fixture.

Fig. 3 is a bottomvplan section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is' a vertical axial section 'of .the

fixture at the lower end of the suspending cord.

' Similar numerals refer to similar parte throughout the several views.

While the body 1 may assume either the form of a Zeppelin4 or anaeroplane, I have selected the'latter form. This is provided with apropeller 2 of' ordinary design, drivenA by an electric motor 3 mountedon "said body, In the form illustrated, the body is both suspended andenergized by an ordinary twisted lamp cord com-posed of circular braids6, inclosing metallic conductors 7. A suspen sion plate 4 is fastened tothe suspended A correlative /object is to provide c -body for *carryingthe weight thereof. This is' centrally apertured, as shown in Fig. 4,and a knot 8' tied inthe cord beneath it. The conductors. are led thenceto the motor terminals 5, 5.

The ceiling fixture, shown in detail 'in Figs. 2 and 3, includes asuspension plate 10 which is centrally apertured to permit the passageof the lamp cord. A knot 11 is tied in the cord above the plate fwiththe result that the weight of the cord and parts attached thereto aretransferred to the plate. The conductors are electrically connected totwo distributing rings 13, 14 and current is supplied 4to them bybrushes 15, 16 vrespecv ings 18, 18 screwing into the side of thehousing 19, suitably fastened to the ceiling 20. The bushings formterminals for the supply conductors 22, 23; Plate 10 is rotatablysupported within the housing and by preference has a ball race 25 formedinits innerl face, vadapted tol coperate with the corresponding ,ballrace 26. formed in the bottom liange' of the housing. Anti-frictionballs 27 run in said races and the whole constitutes a ball bearing forminimizing the friction between the rotary plate 10 and the supportinghousing.v

The supply conductors 22, 23 are led along the ceiling to a convenientpoint and thence down along the wall to a push button 30 of any suitabletype.

With the device constructed as above described, as soon as the attendantcloses the switch he causes the motor to be energized.

'This causes the propeller to revolve and as the speed increases, butthis is a matter of choice, and it is not even Vessential that any typeof rudder be provided; As the motor is supplied from an external sourceof energy it may be kept rotating as long as desired,in which particularmy device is an improvement over those operating .by spring or othermechanism carried `in the suspended body itself. My device doesnot rundown, nor is it necessary to reach the device itself in order toenergize it, or to. stop it. And yet to all appearances the cord wingspread (in case the 6 is merelya suspending element as is the case withsimilar mechanisms driven by springs. 1

When the -body travels in a circular path it willtend to twist the lampcord. This tendency is neutralized, however, by the suspension plate 10which rotates, under the torque transmitted to it through the cord. Thetwist in the cord will increase until the resulting torque is sufficientto overcome the friction of the plate on the housing and the friction ofthe brushes against the distribu ting rings, after which the plate willrotate 1n unison with the cord.

It is evident that the size of the device may be varied. The body may beof 'such small size as toconstitute merely a toy or it may be of mediumsize adapted for exhibition purposes in hotel lobbies or places ofentertainment. In the latter instance the I aeroplane type of body isemployed)l may be several feet.y It

y.is possible, however, to increase the size until the body is capableof carrying one or more `passengers,-a feature which adapts the devicefor amusement parks and like places. With such larger sized machinesthecord will properly consist of three strands instead of two, two of thestrands forming the conductorsand the third of wire or rope, 1[sjnplycarrying the weight of the suspended .y o y. c

Having thus described my invention what I lclaim as new and desirev tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1.4An' amusementv device comprising a tubular member. having means atone end for rigidly connecting same to an overhead jsupport, a secondmember Arotatably sup` i for -rigidly connecting ported within thetubular member,-continu vously coperating electrical contacts on .the ftubular and rotatable members, flexible electricjconductors secured tothe rotatable memberl and in. electrical connection with thecontacts'thereof respectivel and a v'motor propelled aerial toy suspened by said conductors and lhaving its motor electrically connectedtherewith.

2, An amusement device ycomprising a tubular member having means at oneend same to an overhead support, an inwardly directed flange at theother end' of the member, asecond member rotatably supported within thetubular member v'by said flange, continuously copv'eratingelectricalcontacts on the tubular and rotatablemembers, flexibleelectric conductors secured to the rotatable member and in electricalconnection .with the contacts thereof respectively, and'. a motorpropelled aerial' toy suspended by sa'idconductors and having its motorelectrically connected therewith.

3. Anamusement device comprising` a tubular member having means at oneend Laoaeea .other end of the member, a plate having a central aperturedisposed within the member and rotatably supported by said flange,

ya tu'bular extension on the plate concentric with said aperture, aninsulating collar surrounding said extension, continuously coperatingelectrical contacts on the collar and member, flexible electricconductors in elec-- trical connection with the contacts of the collarrespectively and extending through the o ening in the plate, and a motorpropelle aerial toy suspended .by said conductors ,and having its motorelectrically connected therewith.

4. An amusement device comprising a tubular member having means at oneend for rigidly connecting the same to an overhead support, a secondmember rotatably supported within the tubular memberfan anti-frictionbearing between said' members, a suspension member having its upper endfast to the rotatable member, and a propelled aerial toy carried by thelower end of the suspension member. E

5. An amusement device comprising a tubular member having means at oneend for rigidly connecting the same to overhead support, an inwardlydirected flange at .the ot .er end of the member, a second memberrotatably supported by said fiange within the-'g tubularmember, an.anti-friction bearing between the-second member and flange, a suspensionelement havingl its upperend fast to the' second member, and a propelledaerial toy carried by thelower endof the suspension member. l

6. In a-device of the class .-described, -the combination of a ceilingattachmentin the form of ya chambered member having a .cen-l tralopening at the bottom surrounded b Va ball race facing upward, a `secondmem er located within the ceiling attachment and having a-.ball racefacing downward over the first mentioned one, anti-friction ballscoperating with said ball races, an aerial toy, an air propeller fordriving said toy, an electric motor for driving the propeller, a dpairof flexible electric conductors ada te @to energize the motor and carryt e weight of it and of the toy andV propeller, said conductorsvb'eingzfsus endedl from said secondmember, and distrlbvutingl ringsandcoperating contact fingers, one on the ceiling attachment and one onsaid second member, said conductors being electrically connected lto thedistributin parts on the second member, whereby the conductorsper- 'formthe dual function of weightrzcarriers combination of ka chamberedmember'adapt- 130 by a ball race facing upward, a second mem'- berlocated within and housed by the chambered member and having a ball racefacing downward, antisfriction balls working in said races, an aerialtoy, an air propeller for driving the toy, an electric motor for drivingthe propeller, a pair of flexible electric conductors adapted toenergize the motor and carry the weight of it and of the toyandpropeller, said second member having an aperture at the center andthe con-A ductors passing up through said aperture and being knottedabove the aperture whereby the weight of the conductors and partssuspended thereon is carried by the -knot and second member, .anddistributing rings and coperatingv contact fingers, one on the chamberedmember and one on the second member, Asaid conductors being electricallyconnected to the distributing parts on said second member.

8. A structure as specified in claim 7 in which the aperture at thecenter of the second or suspending member is rounded at the edges topermit side swing of the conductors and yet avoid danger of abradingthem.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub;y

JAY TONEY.

.scribed my name.

Witnesses: e

H. LEDYARD E. J. LEDYARD.

